Walther Eichrodt (August 1, 1890 in Gernsbach, Baden – May 20, 1978 in Basel) was a German Old Testament scholar and Protestant theologian.

From 1908 to 1914 he studied theology in Bethel, Greifswald and Heidelberg, obtaining his habilitation at the University of Erlangen in 1918.^[1] In 1922 he succeeded Albrecht Alt as an associate professor of history of religions and Old Testament studies at the University of Basel,^[2] where from 1934 to 1960 he taught classes as a full professor. In 1953 he was named university rector.^[1]

Eichrodt believed that the book of Genesis was added as a prologue to the Old Testament after the writing of Exodus had been completed.^[3]

Literary works

• Die Quellen der Genesis (1916).
• Die Hoffnung des ewigen Friedens alten Israel (1920).
• Theologie des Alten Testaments, 3 volumes (1933–39); translated into English and published in 2 volumes as Theology of the Old Testament (1961, 1967).
• Das Menschenverständnis des Alten Testaments (1944); translated into English and published as Man in the Old Testament (1951).
• Ezekiel; a commentary; English translation by Cosslett Quin (1970).^[4]